"They totally overestimate how much their own stuff is "worth" to the wider ecosystem, and then demand that everyone just pay up. Except... that's not the way the world works. The world works by having smart people with smart business models figuring out ways to make people want to give you money, not by sitting back and demanding others just hand over money. "

Actually - I counter that IS the way the world works... as screwed up as it is >

Not that I'm complaining, I think this is a great move, but the Data Liberation Front is not just about getting your data out but also about getting data from other services into Google.
So it seems to help them on that front too, which is perfectly fine from where I sit.